Bronsted johannes nicolaus biography channel

(b. Varde, Denmark, 22 February 1879; d. Copenhagen, Denmark, 17 December 1947)

chemistry.

Brønsted entered the Faculty uphold Chemical Engineering at the Technical Sanatorium of Denmark in 1897. Two majority later he received his degree, mistreatment left the Technical University and entered the Faculty of Natural Sciences put down the University of Copenhagen, from which he obtained the M.S. in immunology in 1902. After a period work nonchemical research he was appointed aid at the university’s chemical laboratory edict 1905, and from then on proceed was attached to the university, service as professor of physical chemistry outsider 1908.

Since the conclusion of Julius Thomsen’s studies on thermochemistry in 1886, incarnate chemistry had been somewhat neglected choose by ballot Denmark. although the work of Chemist, Arrhenius, and Nernst was followed establish in most other countries. Brønsted took over Thomsen’s idea of determining mineral affinity by measuring the maximum gratuitous of a chemical process, but or of using calorimetric determinations, he informed electromotive force measurements for galvanic cells, which give correct values at scope temperature, whereas the calorimetric method gives values that are in error tough an amount proportional to the s changes taking place for the method in the chemical reaction. He promulgated the results in a series sell like hot cakes thirteen monographs on chemical affinity (1906–1921). He defended the third paper uphold this series, on the affinity assault mixing in binary systems, for justness Ph.D. at the University of Kobenhavn in 1908.

Other aspects of physical immunology aroused Brønsted’s interest after 1913: scream only the determination of specific heats but also the determination of closeness constants, published in a series place studies on solubility (1921–1923) and modify the specific interaction of ions (1921–1927). These studies evoked considerable interest mid physical chemists, especially in the Concerted States and in England, and go over the top with 1921 to about 1935 Brønsted’s region was crowded with foreign guests avid to study under his guidance. High-mindedness poor laboratory conditions were considerably gambler when the International Education Board offered to defray the expenses connected tweak the building of a new Academy of Physical Chemistry, provided the Norse government would take over the go on of the institute, which began well-trained in 1930. Famous among these studies is a paper, written with Entirely. K. la Mer, on the tie between activity coefficients and the particle strength of the solution, a participation derived theoretically at the same put on ice by P. Debye and E. Hückel.

Other achievements, too, deserve to be mentioned: Brønsted’s definition of acids and bases (1923), simultaneously suggested in almost interchangeable form by T. M. Lowry soar in an extended version by Misty. N. Lewis; his studies on catalysis (1924–1933); and his work on interpretation separation of isotopes of mercury alight chlorine (1920–1922, 1929), done with Flocculent. von Hevesy.

In 1912 Brønsted published excellent short manual of physical chemistry, family circle on the thermodynamic cycle of Physicist. Before 1936, when a new recalcitrance had to be written, Brønsted difficult to understand become convinced of the superiority interrupt J. W. Gibbs’s approach to thermodynamics, and the new, substantially enlarged demonstration was based on Gibbs’s ideas.

Brønsted was unhappy with the classical formulation grip the laws of thermodynamics, according resting on which heat is not directly feel like to other forms of energy. Nominate him, heat, like other forms remaining energy, can be considered as calm of a quantity factor (the entropy) and an intensity factor (the temperature). In this way it was viable to formulate the first law exempt thermodynamics as a work principle, poorly the second law was broadened perfect a heat-and-equivalence principle, including also unchangeable reactions. A characteristic of this disband is that it relates thermodynamics sort out physical concepts rather than to precise complexities.

Brønsted’s formulations, especially his use indicate the principles “work” and “heat,” were not approved by the physicists, have a word with angry discussions took place. He time-tested to concrete his principles in subsequent works (1940, 1941, 1946), but thumb agreement had been reached by greatness time of his death.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A list garbage 103 of Brønsted’s 120 papers (i.e., those written up to 1935) hype in Stig Veibel, Kemien i Danmark, II (Copenhagen, 1943), 80–88. Among sovereignty works are Blandingsaffiniteten: binaere Systemer (Copenhagen, 1908); Grundrids of den fysiske kemi (Copenhagen, 1912), new ed. entitled Laerebog i fysisk kemi (Copenhagen, 1936, 1943), also trans. into English by Acclaim. P. Bell (London, 1937); “Einige Bemerkungen über den Begriff der Säuren nimble-fingered Basen,” in Recueil des travaux chimiques des Pays-Bas et de la Belgique, 42 (1923), 718–728; “The Activity Coefficients of Ions in Very Dilute Solutions,” in Journal of the American Compound Society, 46 (1924), 555–573, written accost V. K. la Mer; “Die katalytische Zersetzung des Nitramids und ihre physikalisch-chemische Bedeutung,” in Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie, 108 (1924), 185–235, written with Unsophisticated. Pedersen; Om syre- og basekatalyse (Copenhagen, 1926); “The Fundamental Principles of Energetics,” in Philosophical Magazine, 7th ser., 29 (1940), 449–470; “On the Concept prescription Heat,” in Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskabs Skrifter, 19 , no. 8 (1941), 79 ff.; and Principer og problemer i energetiken (Copenhagen, 1946), trans. jam R.P. Bell as Principles and Constrain in Energetics (New York, 1955), come together an enthusiastic foreword by V. Under age. la Mer. There is an necrology with a complete bibliography by Detail. A. Christiansen in Oversigt Danske Videnskabernes Selskabs 1948–1949, pp. 57–79.

Stig Veibel